Diego Rivera

Mexican, 1886 - 1957

Explore Selected Works

A pale-skinned man leans forward so his arms rest on the desk in front of us as he looks out with piercing blue eyes in this horizontal portrait painting. He rests his head in his left hand, to our right, with the first two fingers extended along his temple. His blond hair is carefully combed, and he has arched eyebrows, bags under his eyes, a wide nose, and a bristle mustache over his square, cleft chin. He wears a navy-blue suit jacket over a white button-down and dark tie. The jacket has a white pocket square and a red flower on one lapel. The man wears a red pinky ring on the hand by his face. The other arm is extended so that hand, which holds a cigarette, hangs beyond the edge of the tabletop. We look slightly down onto the desk where a pair of glasses rests on an open book, which shows a self portrait by Van Gogh. A pamphlet partially tucked under one corner of the book would read, in full, “FRENCH PAINTING from the CHESTER DALE COLLECTION.” The man sits in a high-backed chair with cushion mottled with amethyst purple and topaz blue. Close behind him, a shelf to our right holds a copper-green mask and a figurine. Pale green paneling and drawers fill the left two-thirds of the background. The painting is inscribed at the top left, “To my very dear friend Chester Dale Diego Rivera. August 1945.” Brushstrokes are visible in some areas, especially in the background and chair.
Diego Rivera, Chester Dale, 1945, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Collection, 1963.10.62

Chester Dale

Diego Rivera · 1945 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1963.10.62

Diego Rivera, Boy with Melon, 1936, brush and black ink, John Davis Hatch Collection, 1979.41.10

Boy with Melon

Diego Rivera · 1936 · brush and black ink ·  Accession ID  1979.41.10

Diego Rivera, Viva Zapata, 1932, lithograph on wove paper, Rosenwald Collection, 1943.3.7357

Viva Zapata

Diego Rivera · 1932 · lithograph on wove paper ·  Accession ID  1943.3.7357

Diego Rivera, Viva Zapata, 1932, lithograph in black on Rives BFK paper, Gift of Mrs. Robert A. Hauslohner, 1990.106.51

Viva Zapata

Diego Rivera · 1932 · lithograph in black on Rives BFK paper ·  Accession ID  1990.106.51

An abstracted jug, bottles, shapes reminiscent of balled up paper or fabric, and a needle-like letter opener are gathered on a wood square in this horizontal still life painting. Rectangles in shades of corn yellow, violet purple, burgundy red-and-black checks, white, black, and spruce green splay out behind the objects like untidily stacked placemats. The brown jug is at the center, and an echo of its form in teal blue presumably represents a shadow. Portions of the jug, wooden board, and crumpled material shift color and pattern as they intersect or overlap with other areas. The artist’s initials, “DMR,” are stenciled in yellow in the lower left corner.
Diego Rivera, No. 9, Nature Morte Espagnole, 1915, oil on canvas, Gift of Katharine Graham, 2002.19.1

No. 9, Nature Morte Espagnole

Diego Rivera · 1915 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2002.19.1

The image depicts a landscape with hills and trees from an elevated point of view. A large tree is prominent on the right, surrounded by grass and shrubs. In the distance, colorful hills are dotted with patterns of light and shadow. The paint has been applied with small, distinct dots creating a vibrant blend of colors. The color palette includes greens, yellows, blues, and pinks, with some areas of orange dirt and light green grasses.
Diego Rivera, Montserrat, 1911, oil on canvas, Collection of Eugene and Agnes Meyer, Gift of their daughter Elizabeth Meyer Lorentz, 2001.112.1

Montserrat

Diego Rivera · 1911 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2001.112.1